Symphony of the Night to be heard on XBLA
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Aug 3rd 2006 at 9:55PM }
At last, every miserable little pile of secrets that owns an Xbox 360 will be able to experience Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, a game considered by many to be the best in Konami's esteemed franchise. According to the September issue of EGM, the game is scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade in early 2007. It'll be a torturously long wait, though it leaves us time to ponder how exactly a Playstation (and Saturn!) classic will slip under XBLA's 50MB Limbo pole. It seems likely that by next year, the size requirement will have been given a significant bump by larger memory cards and hard drives. After all, we doubt fans would be pleased if anything were to happen to the game's wonderful soundtrack in order to cut down on space.But enough talk. Have at you!
[Thanks soco and doomx24!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Wolfrain @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:05PM
Without the soundtrack it ain't the same game to me.
dsub @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:07PM
HELLLLL YES!!!
This is the best Castlevania game of them all, and my personal favorite PS1 title. This is great news to me. With the release of this and Contra, it sounds like Konami is really lending some support to XBLA. Awesome news. I can't wait for this.
zenprism @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:07PM
Beautiful.
Hopefully the first of many Castlevania games to hit Live Arcade.
dan s. @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:07PM
That's damn cool considering I have a PSX copy but no Sony product to play it on.
Tim @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:09PM
I'm interested in this.
TobiasReaper89 @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:10PM
That's a damn shame...
Night Elve @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:14PM
I have the honor to possess an original copy
The Rev @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:15PM
Bring on the old GTAs
Tim @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:15PM
dan s:
If you've got a PC, ePSXe runs SotN perfectly.
teknomusik @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:16PM
Frickin awesome! I love SotN!
James Sorensen @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:20PM
play it on ps2/ps3 this year :) for dirt cheap
elvisizer @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:24PM
couldn't some sort of software program take the original sound files and then, perhaps, remove frequency information that would not be perceived by human hearing upon playback, thus removing data and shrinking the size of the sound files? i think it's called mp3 or something or other . . . .
also, this is funny-- after reading this, i went to play my ps1 SOTN, and could not find the darn thing. a quick check of my ebay account confirms that i sold it a few years ago while between jobs. and then, apparently, forgot about selling it. d'oh!
Ryan @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:28PM
If ONLY it would come to the virtual console. It would, however, take up 1/10th of the onboard memory. Not very probable. Oh, fate, how cruel art thou!
Guess I've gotta buy a 360. Man, there goes next month's rent...
Crazylink @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:28PM
Great another reason for me to get a 360. I guess I really will be Wii60 afterall.
SonicRift @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:30PM
Yeah, the Major has said that the 50 meg thing is just a guideline, and while they'd rather Core owners not get shafted in the long run for only have a 64 meg card for this stuff, they would be willing to allow a game exceed that limit if the game were too good to pass up.
and... PS3 for dirt cheap? Right... I hope I misinterpreted that...
SOTN also runs nicely on an old iBook G4 in PCSX.
And Rev, as much as I'd love the old GTA's on XBLA, they're offered by Rockstar for free on their website. Perhaps they could be bundled with future games in collectors editions...
Nick @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:31PM
From the source art and audio, recompressing such a game to acceptable size would likely be trivial with today's tools. Early consoles weren't big on compression technologies; we've come a long way since then.
A quick glance at some "unsavory" places around the net reports that the game is only 390MB. A new spin on such aged graphics should bring that down considerably, same goes for the audio.
Nick
Fandel @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:42PM
I just put my Castlevania SOTN PS1 disk in my PC. The game is exactly 484 megabytes. Now, keep in mind, that over 95% of that data consist of the CDA audio music, voice files, and Full Motion Video.
Now keep in mind, that game was released in 1996/97, and audio and video compression has vastly improved since that time. It wouldn't take a huge amount of effort to compress the music and FMV files down to less than 50 megabytes in a MP3 audio/MP4 video, or equivalent format.
Note: I just examined the disk more thoroughly, and the CDA audio files alone in the PS1 disk take up exactly 448.2 megabytes of data. So you can easily compress that data to a 35 meg audio file and still have good audio quality in the game. While I'm not 100% certain, the actual game data itself, is probably less than 10 megabytes itself.
Ian @ Aug 3rd 2006 10:51PM
Kinda interesting that I played this on my Xbox-the-first, now it's a big thing that it's on Xbox2. That's alright though, awesome game, very much my favourite of the bunch. Although Dawn of Sorrow isn't that far off, for the DS.
bill pullman @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:04PM
will we be playing this in 4:3, or will it be zoomed or remixed in HD? one can dream, right?
Matt Dusza @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:15PM
Something tells me that it was a typo and that they ment the PSP PS1 emulator, as itsbeen confirmed for that as well
Pal @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:15PM
I'll get it for the PSP when Sony launches their pay-per-download PS1 emulation service :)
carg0 @ Aug 3rd 2006 11:37PM
Wow, that's quite a disparity to go from SF2 to arguably the most popular Castlevania game in the franchise. If done right, meaning a near-flawless port (fans of the series will accept nothing less) and most importantly A FAIR PRICE, this could open the floodgates for Arcade and inspire other developers to open their back-catalogue's to create similar deals. MS will just have to offer a bigger HDD, which has all but been announced at this point.
And who's to say these particular deals aren't already in the works, for that matter? Considering I never saw this particular revelation coming, I wouldn't rule out anything.
If MS can run with this by getting more high-caliber games like SOTN and start making similar announcements a month or so before Xmas, Arcade could turn out to be the deal breaker for a lot of consumers looking to play their favorite older games. We'll just have to wait and see.
bill pullman @ Aug 4th 2006 12:03AM
actually, now that i think about it, they're beginning to push it, as far as the size and scope of games they want to release on XBLA. you just KNOW they're going to charge 20 bucks for this little slut... hell, i'd rather pay $25 and get it in a purty little case on a nice little disc.
Insomnia Bob @ Aug 4th 2006 12:16AM
This is some great news for gamers. The idea of reviving hard to find, long lost titles on online distribution networks tickles my funny bone. For the record, I own two copies of SOTN. One to play, and one to not play. Ever. Thanks to a couple of younger brothers who used my PS1 games as hockey pucks, I must have gone through 5 copies of the game, all together.
For those of you who say 'feh! go buy it for the PS1!', I suggest you go out and try to find a copy.
Gamestop's website lists the game at a conservative $24.99 for a used copy...and also notes that they are out of stock. It's getting that much and more on E-bay as we speak. I applaud whatever group, force, or entity is responsible for this game being reintorduced to the masses.
I constantly think to myself, "Man, I should would like to play (insert classic title here)". But even if I can find some of these rare gaming gems, the prices, even for used copies, can be prohibitive. Here's hoping this is the begining of a new trend of re-releasing old games. Maybe they can even beef up SOTN? Add a few new monsters? Maps? Items? Spells? Ah, I drool with anticipation.
Also, what other games might we see? I know I have my wish list. (Marvel vs. Capcom 2, anybody?)
thunderleg @ Aug 4th 2006 12:18AM
Only one or two tracks on this game was CD audio, and they were merely warnings. "This is a Playstation black disc. blah blah blah.", then an extra song played. As for the BGM, it was compressed into either .xa or .str, I cannot recall which.
50 Megs seems like far too tight of a belt for this game to be compressed into.
calthaer @ Aug 4th 2006 12:21AM
If Valkyrie Profile hits the 360 scene, then I will consider getting one of these.
Symphony of the Night is a true work of art in every sense of the word - I am truly shocked that M$ is doing this so right.
They are also undercutting the PS3 by chipping away at one of the things they hold dear: PS1 backwards compatability. I, for one, do nothing much else with my PS2 than play PS1 games.
bebopdabebop@yahoo.com @ Aug 4th 2006 12:43AM
Hey sweet! I got into the Castlevania series a bit late, starting with the GBA games, so I misssed out on Symphony of the Night. Thats a definite must buy.
HD gaming is overrated, but the XBLA is totally underrated. I'm happy to see it is getting more support.
halobreaker @ Aug 4th 2006 12:44AM
Blah, I've been playing this on my PC recently. And with the graphic smoothers and what not it's great!!
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f18/halobreaker/csotk.jpg
hjungle @ Aug 4th 2006 1:51AM
If Konami's willing to do this I wonder if they'll bring out the prequel on the Wii? SotN is great and all, but Dracula X is classic Castlevania.
Speaking of SotN, I wonder which version it will be. The Saturn version had some new enemies, music, maps, and you could play as Maria. It also suffered from horrible slowdown and load times so here's hoping for a fixed port of that version!
epobirs @ Aug 4th 2006 1:51AM
It's been said already but bringing this title down to manageable download and storage size is no big deal, especially since this will be a new version rather than a PS1 emulation. Using compressed audio at high quality will still allow for a file a fraction the size of the original. Likewise for FMV segments that can be remastered from the original animation file to much better looking VC-1 content.
Going further, a multi-CD game like Final Fantasy VII can be reduced to a remarkable extent because so much of the content of each CD is identical. Good news for the upcoming PSP support for PS1 classic downloads.
On the other hand, giving it the expected 720p splendor it really deserves to make it at home on the Xbxo 360 will mean some added bulk.
Getting it onto a 64 MB memory unit with is iffy but there is that 256 MB model looming on the horizon to make larger XBLA products available to those without hard drives. (There is still the question is the price. Will it be more expensive than the 64 MB or will that model get a price cut to reduce the overall Xbxo 360 cost of entry?)
It would be interesting to know which side was the driver for this. Did Konomi or Microsoft raise the idea first? Is it being handled like any classic port for XBLA or did Microsoft go knocking on their door with an offer to pick up much of the cost? Not that any scenario is bad so long as both parties see some good revenue and the gamers get another great item on the menu.
Insomnia Bob @ Aug 4th 2006 3:03AM
I think you guys are far over-stating just how stuck MS is on the 50MB limit. It's not a catch-all "no games over 50MB!!!1" statement. It was more of a promise to people who bought core units that they'd be able to get something off of XBLA, too. The fact is, there's some stuff you can't do without a hard drive. Playing SOTN might be one of those. While it might be possible to shrink this game down to 50 megs, why bother?
The 360 Core systems were only produced for a limited run, as sort of a nod to the '$400? You must be insane!" crowd. And, to be fair, I was one of them. Ah, 2005. When $400 seemed a ludicrous amount for a game system. But I digress.
The game will likely not be under 50 megs. Buy a hard drive.
epobirs @ Aug 4th 2006 4:05AM
#31 Don't count on it, Bob. The Core system will never stop representing a useful low cost of entry claim for Microsoft. It and the Premium package will continue with corresponding price drops. Until such time as the hard drive is effectively free for Microsoft it will be too useful to treat it as an optional item for most games.
There is nothing whatsoever in SOTN that could not have been done on the N64 if it had been deemed worthy of the same 64MB cartridge treatment given to Resident Evil II. Putting it in a fairly small space by modern standards on the 360 isn't a challenge. Just convert the audio to WMA and the job is 80% done.
Rob Matheson @ Aug 4th 2006 4:26AM
Two Words:
Radiant Silvergun.
Show some balls Treasure and put this on Xbox Live.
Johnny M @ Aug 4th 2006 5:27AM
no Toys for Bob show some balls and give us Star Control 2 on XBLA!!!!
Marty @ Aug 4th 2006 8:03AM
Now if they can fix the crappy translation while trying to compress the audio, this version would be awesome!!!
C. Grant @ Aug 4th 2006 8:42AM
Wrong, Bob. 50MB is a hard and fast rule for XBLA games. See my interview with Ross Erickson.
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/25/joystiq-interviews-xblas-ross-erickson/
"At this time and for the foreseeable future we're sticking to our position that 50MBs is what defines an Arcade title so that portability between system and system can work and so that those users who do not have a hard drive, don't think there's many of them, but for those that don't have a storage solution for getting their games onto their system."
Hugh Jass @ Aug 4th 2006 10:20AM
"couldn't some sort of software program take the original sound files and then, perhaps, remove frequency information that would not be perceived by human hearing upon playback, thus removing data and shrinking the size of the sound files? i think it's called mp3 or something or other . . . ."
This was pure gold. I salute you, Sarcastic Man!
There's no way this can't be shunken down. It's basically a Super Nintendo game with a CD soundtrack ... just like many Sega CD games are Genesis games with CD soundtracks.
I have a disc of SOTN for Playstation and I've never finished it. Getting past the initial awful voiceover was hard for me. It was cheap, so I don't care ...
LaughingTarget @ Aug 4th 2006 11:07AM
When I sold off my game collection about 4 months ago, I had a used copy of the original release of SotN, not the Greatest Hits version. Game was in excellent condition and still had its original case and manual. It commanded $80 on EBay.
You can pull the GH versions off EBay now for around $10, so it is not like this game is all that difficult to find. As of this typing, there are currently 46 of them up for sale.
The breaker will be if Konami manages to remaster a large chunk of the game. Cut out or re-record that corny opening voice over, remaster the audio into higher quality and smaller sized files, clean up the graphics and a few control issues, then finally put it into HD format. That will be more than enough to convince people to pay the EBay average of $15-$20 for it. Why buy the older, now rendered crappier, version when the spanking new one is just as much?
Jim @ Aug 4th 2006 11:32AM
YESSSSSSSS! pretty please include the extras from the SEGA Saturn Version!
VampireHunter Z @ Aug 4th 2006 12:33PM
Since it's MSFT they could use wma(a better compression) instead of mp3. A wave track is about 40-50MB which is pretty much all the space allowed for an arcade game. I never played the original game but it seems like it's one of the classics of the series.
weaszel @ Aug 4th 2006 1:20PM
Perhaps the same could be said of all XBLA demos.
Johnny M @ Aug 4th 2006 6:59PM
It was not by my hand that people bought the core system i say bring on the 200MB arcade games and besides with 64mb card you cant even downlaod a demo or have more than one arcade game on their!
Insomnia Bob @ Aug 5th 2006 6:31AM
Fair enough, C. Grant, however 'the foreseeable future' is a nebulous term, at best.
Ah, but then again, when has a representative of Microsoft ever led us astray?
http://www.joystiq.com/2005/05/16/the-big-boys-whip-it-out-again-everyone-stand-back/
....oh.
After doing some thinking (and taking a quick trip over to wikipedia to look at just how far data compression has come), it looks like indeed, you COULD put together a version of SOTN for 50 megs. So, I concede that point.
Never the less, the day will come when some cool games will come out on XBLA that will require more than 50MB. Gird thy loins!