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Don't waste your time or money

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

By far Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is a better game than Castlevania 64, however, it is not as good as others say. As a long time fan of the Castlevania series, I purchased this game thinking of how kewl it would be to play as a werewolf, boy was i mistaken. Turning into a werewolf saps the amount of jewels you've collected and once you turn into a werewolf you can't change back until all your jewels are gone. Not only that but there really isn't a difference between turning into a werewolf and staying human. I beat Dracula without even transforming! i would suggest getting this game if you haven't purchased Castlevania 64, which is a horrid addition to the Castlevania series and if you already own an N64. However, if you don't own an N64, don't buy one to play this game, it isn't worth it. Get Game boy advanced and get castlevania circle of the moon or harmony of dissidence

Very underrated

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The original Castlevania 64 was under par, not just because of the twitchy camera or the graphics but because of the short length of the game. The "Legacy of Darkness" expansion brought two new characters including the one I thought was strongest and most well-rounded, Carrie. I enjoy her stages the most.

The graphics look extremely dated and they weren't the best even when the game came out, but I don't think they take much from the gaming experience. My biggest gripe was the difficult controls, which made jumps difficult, and the camera wasn't the best, but most games have a camera problem.

There isn't all that much of a story to speak of, it's mostly straight adventuring, which is what I want out of a game. It's colorful and has a lot of action, and in general it's engaging fun, although not that deep. I'd recommend it.

Best CastleVania Ever!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: December 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The 3D CastleVanias on N64 have been getting a lot of heat from the CastleVania "fans" that have compared it and have deemed it sub-par against the "oh-so-great" Symphony of the Night(SotN).

First off, SotN wasn't all that great in my opinion, a 3 out of 5 at the most. Legacy of Darkness is far deeper than SotN could ever hope to be.

First off, your basic storyline. You are Cornell, a man-beast(werewolf), you have been training for a long time and when you return to your village, its set aflame and your sister, your only blood relative, has been kidnapped. You track the scent of her blood to the ominous Castlevania, and so begins your quest.

Trust me, this game has one of, if not the deepsest stories of all the Castlevanias. Unlike SotN, which you really need only see the intro and the ending and you have pretty much the entire story, LoD has twists, rivalries, and even a backstory for some of the NPCs. Not only that, but the game is comprised of three storylines (the fourth is little more than fun mini-game used to unlock various things including the second and third stories). The first storyline, Cornell's, sets up the events that occur eight years later in Carrie and Reinhardt's games (the original Castlevania 64) which you unlock by playing Henry's game, which also ties into Cornell's.

Now, some poeple complain about how the graphics are sub-par, even when comparing it to SotN. I myself have to say that this game beats SotN flat out, graphically, in every way. Whereas in SotN, you could get really artsy enemies and chars, they were still little more than flat sprites. In LoD, you really get a sense of size and depth of your enemies. The possesed suits of armor look much more impressive in 3D than their 2D counterparts. And in the final battle with Dracula, you really, really, notice his size. Sure in SotN, he takes up the entire screen, but in SotN, you can run about 500 feet away from him and he still fills up like half the screen. And trust me, there are few sights in games more beautiful than the Tower of Sorcery.

SotN became a hit by incorporating RPG elements by equiping weapons and gaining levels and such. That was all well and good for it, but let's face it, CastleVania was not an RPG to begin with, it was an Action/Adventure game, which this game succeeds in recapturing. No fancy weapons or armor to equip. No strength to level up. Just you and your enemies. SotN had spells and abilities that were left out of LoD. Why? Because they were uneccessary in the first place. LoD isn't designed to work around your abilities, its linear, so you just play through level after level, which may seem a bit old, but works just fine for this game. Now, you can upgrade not only your reqular weapons like in old school CV games, you can also upgrade your secondary weapons (knife, axe, cross, holy water) so they do more damage, and look cooler too! The Axe, for example, is just a regular axe at first, but as you upgrade, the axe does its damage then summons a lightning bolt to strike at your opponent.

Now, some poeple complain that the werewolf form is useless as you can't revert back until you've drained your jewels(jewels replace hearts in this game). The werewolf form adds a very noticable difference in attack and defense strength. Thing about the werewolf form is that it must be used strategically. Boss battles are the best choice as you'll revert back to normal when the battle is over and so not waste all your jewels.

Lastly, I'll cover music. SotN is considered the apex of CV music for a reason that is beyond me. I only enjoy 4 or 5 songs and the rest just sounds the same. LoD doesn't use music to overide the game, LoD uses music to enhance the game. The music is now more ambient, which has some fans pissed. Thing is, the ambient music now adds a subliminal touch to each of the levels. The song, "Silent Madness" in the Villa, for example, adds a disturbing undertone to the level.

Pretty Good

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: November 19, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I am a huge Castlevania fan and this game has hightened my love for the series. While lacking some qualities that made it's predicesors fantastic, this is still a solid game that deserves your time. Any fan and new comers alike, this game offers a outstanding gaming experience.

Totally Great!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: July 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I loved CASTLEVANIA: LEGACY OF DARKNESS! The storyline is supurb and the gameplay is engrossing! This is far superior to any of the previous CASTLEVANIA side-scrollers that appeared on other consoles. All of them had no story whatsoever and players can only stay occupied by running, jumping, and attacking before realizing that they are playing the same thing over and over with a new background, slightly different enemies, and a change of background music.

CASTLEVANIA: LEGACY OF DARKNESS provides a refreshing alternative to the mindless CASTLEVANIAs of the past with stunning in-game graphics and lighting effects. The Cinemas lack a bit graphically, but the stories they portray will more than make up for it.

As for music, the eerie melodies set the many different moods throughout the game; from the chilling notes during the plot twists to the eerily calm music just before a climax, this game has a wealth of spectacularly composed melodies.

As for gameplay, the controls take some mastering. However, once you learn them, play is natural. While some complain of jerky camera movements, these are easily eliminated using the correct camera setting and an experienced gamer will realize that the problem is non-existant.

Overall, CASTLEVANIA: LEGACY OF DARKNESS is one of the finest specimens of a game I've ever seen. With 4 full-length quests from 4 different characters, the gameplay goes on and on. Plus, multiple endings add to the replay value. This is a MUST HAVE!

a great classic only gets better

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 05, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Castlevania, what else can be said. This game is great. I have been a castlevania fan ever since I first played it on the NES. It was great then, and even better now with this new release. the graphgics are great. Every detail is so real. The diffuculty settings help out new players to the castlevania relm. There are three hidden charcters that add to the games length with new levels and game play. The story takes place 7 years before the charcters in castlevania 64 begin their adventure. I love the castlevania game line, and LEGACY OF DARKNESS makes it even better.

Excellent Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 13, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is by far the best castlevania game ever made. The sound, graphics, and gameplay are much improved from the original version. Personally, I've been a castlevania fan ever since the debut of castlevania for the NES. When castlevania 64 came out, I was amazed by the jump to 3-D. And when this game came out, it didn't fail to impress me. Unlike the original castlevanias, this game isnt just about killing vampires. It's about creating the eerie presence that you are not alone. It almost makes you feel like you are a part of the game. When lightning strikes, you jump. If you're a fan of the original castlevanias, or just starting to get into the series, than this game is a must buy.

Castlevania LOD

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: August 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I Have Castlevania 64 And i liked it so i went to my local [electronics store] and i saw it so i bought it and i must Say EVERYONE MUST OWN THIS game!

It IS Castlevania

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 02, 2005
Author: Amazon User

The Castlevanias on the N64 got praise upon first release, then slowly everyone jumped on the bandwagon of bashing the heck out of them. I have to say that this is totally undeserved. One has to remember that this game was done under the limitations of the technology at the time. Compared to todays games......sure, it's not that pretty to look at. But for its time, LoD was as good a 3D interpretation of Castlevania as one could hope to create (and don't get me started about "it could have been done better on the PS1", just don't). The reason I highly recommend this game to Castlevania fans is that this remains, to date, the best way to experience Castlevania in the third dimension. I've played Lament of Innocense....and while that game did get everything right that LoD was weak on: super tight graphics and a solid action gameplay engine, it suffered from a far more horrid curse: it didn't FEEL like a Castlevania game! Outside of some of the enemies and the whip-toting hero, I felt no connection to the Castlevanian atmosphere I had come to know and expect. LoD delivers this, even if not in the prettiest or most action-centric way. It's a more deliberately paced game, and unlike LoI, you actually feel like your traversing the dark lair of Dracula. LoI felt like an overextended dungeon crawl that sported very few familiar castle locals traditional to the series. On top of that....I absolutely LOATHED the feminine look of the hero Leon.
All the classic creatures are here and represented in a refreshingly original manner. You'll find plenty of cool boss battles, and Dracula's final incarnations in this game are the coolest I've seen yet. You'll also have access to four different playable characters (the only time this has been done since Castlevania 3). Reinhardt is the classic whip toting hero, and of course, my favorite. Carrie takes up the classic magic using style of the Belnades clan. Cornell, the game's signature character, can tranform into a powerful werewolf....though, honestly, I find him to be the least enjoyable character. And then there's Henry...an all-together new style of Castlevania hero who brandishes a firearm instead of whips and magic. His slightly shorter "search" quest is a fun change of pace from the others and definitely worth checking out.
Outside of the graphical and tighter gameplay enhancements....LoD does feature a better-implemented weapon upgrade system over it predecessor; allowing you to upgrade the game's special weapons in addition to your primary weapon. I'm still waiting to see something like this in upcoming Castlevania games.
Bottom line, LoD is done in the tradition of the classic 8 and 16 bit Castlevanias....not in the more Japanish RPG styled recent additions. Perhaps this is what has caused it it's lack of praise. But either way, if you're a fan of the simpler classic, action-styled Castlevanias.....I recommend trying this one out. If you didn't fall in love with the series till after Symphony of the Night, you probably won't like it. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to snatch it up again if someone were to go in and remake it with current gen graphics and LoI's better action weapon gameplay. And I have to say, on a final note, that this game's story line was far more inventive than any Castlevania to date.

How to make a game everybody loves or hates

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: April 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Legacy of Darkness, like its predecessor, is just one of those games that are so close to the line between excellent and mediocre that all the players either wind up loving it or hating it. While some people seem to want to hand Konami an Academy Award, others want to impale them on a wooden stake. I would love to claim open-mindness and 'moderation' but I shamelessly admit I'm in the first camp.
When I played the first Castlevania, I simply loved it. As soon as I saw my character use his awesome whip, I felt like I was playing a true Castlevania game. The feeling did not diminish throughout the game, and the final battle(s) with Dracula brought back memories of the first Castlevania. For those of you who have not played Castlevania 64, I apologize, because I am going to do A LOT of comparing between that game and Legacy of Darkness.
In Legacy, the character you start out with, instead of Reinhardt (the guy with the whip), is a strapping young fellow named Cornell, who packs a nasty whallop with his energy blasts and can turn into a werewolf (tho this is not very helpful, it sucks your energy like a vacuum). I can sympathize with those who do not find him or his quest very 'Castlevania-like', because of his method of attack and other reasons. But believe me, eventually you will unlock Reinhardt, and be able to flip that whip as often as you like.
Anyway, back to Cornell. His journey is very similar to Reinhardts--but with fewer cool bosses. (Another improvement over Castlevania 64 is the addition of some new bosses). On the downside, Cornell does not fight Death, or Rosa the Nice Vampire, or the vampire/victim duo. On the upside he (and everybody else) has two new stages in the beginning--whereas the Cv 64 had all characters starting in The Forest of Silence outside the castle, Legacy has them start on the ship traveling to Draculas Island, and then work their way to the docks and then the forest etc.
Once you complete Cornell's journey, you will unlock Henry. Henry's quest is quite unusual from the rest--instead of going all the way to Dracula you are simply trying to find and rescue a certain amount of children in a certain amount of time. Henry is armed with a pistol--a VERY powerful weapon that takes most enemies down with one shot. This is a fun quest in that while it definitely doesnt feel like castlevania it is nonetheless quite enjoyable.
Completing Henry's quest successfully results in the unlocking of Reinhardt Schneiders' and Carries' (the original cv 64 characters) quests. In my opinion Reinhardt's quest is the best of the bunch, both because of his familiar whip and his exciting storyline and boss encounters.

Now to the gameplay. My main gripe when playing this game is the 'lock-on' capability. When fighting enemies, especially vampires, it is very difficult to execute a 180-degree turn, a must in a fierce fight. Those guys are fast and often your lock-on button will be simply unable to keep up. Oh, and that godawful camera. When trying to execute precision jumps, like on a series of ledges against a wall, you have to do everything in relation to the camera which more often than not is in an awkward, difficult to see position. Often too if you're not quick the ledge you are standing on will disappear and you will plunge to a pulpy death on the rocks below. But these are not game-crippling problems so overall I give gameplay a 3.5/5.

The graphics in this game while not impressive are adequate, and my only gripe about them is that the character's faces hardly ever change, so the cutscenes are a little stiff. when I say adequate, by the way, I mean that, although the textures and polygons are not so well-done, the environments and objects are large and creative enough to keep you excited and playing to see where you'll wind up next. Graphics quality: 3/5. Creative environments and settings: 4.5/5.

The enemies in this game as in most castlevania games are AWESOME!!! Many old ones from the early games and several new ones. The 3d cv games also boast a new feature--you actually get to fight real live (more or less) vampires. And these aren't the pale-faced hooded-eye tall dark and handsome vampires of the movies--these things are truly monsters, and do some crazy stuff in fights--like run up walls and ceilings, scoot about on all fours, do spins and flips that would make Jackie Chan jealous, literally vomit bats, and suck your blood if you get too close. Fun fun fun!!

Allow me to be the first reviewer to praise the music in this game--it is definitely the finest I have heard on any n64 game. Creepy organs, and wonderfully dissonant melodies make for a skin crawling soundtrack. Oh, and the vampires--they make absolutely LOVELY noises, ranging from 'dysenterous pig' to 'vomiting schoolgirl' to 'constipated lion'. I'm not kidding they actually sound like that. And when you end the fight by sending them down where they belong, they make a disgustingly beautiful screech that sounds kinda like 'I'm melting! I'm MEEEELTING!!'

Storyline: 4/5. The story in my opinion is not something for Konami to be proud of. Most cutscenes will have you impatiently tapping your foot saying, 'cmon, cmon, les go fight somebody already!' An exception to this are the vampire cut scenes, which make full use of camera angles and cinematography to make chills run up your spine.

Rating: This game is, in my grave personal opinion, borderline M. Blood there is a plenty, albeit in a cheesy and pixellike form. Corpses lie strewn about, and many of the monsters are just plain gross. Quite naturally death is a major theme with this game, so don't play it if you are easily depressed. I'd say kids under 13 should not play this game...thats my opinion, anyway.

Bang for your buck: 10/5. The reason I say this is you don't even need to purchase this game only if you have an n64, go find it on the net in ROM form and play it on your computer instead!

Summary:

PROS:

Exciting and exotic locations

Creative enemies

Good use of camera in cutscenes to create proper mood

EXCELLENT music

Makes you want to keep playing

Multiple endings

Fun characters

New bosses

CONS:

Annoying camera

Less than stellar graphics

Basically cv64 with some new stuff added

Many sections are very difficult (Frankengardner and his vicious dogs are back)

gameplay difficulty (jumping, turning etc)

Thank you for reading my lengthy review. Once again I repeat, DO NOT BUY CV64!! BUY THIS GAME INSTEAD, IT INCLUDES THE WHOLE OF CV64!!

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